Feeling This
by Her Sweetness
Summary: [Birthday Oneshot] It seems that Marik's forgotten Malik's birthday. Bakura's being unhelpful, Ryou wants to hold hands and why the HELL did Marik kill Tiny Tim? Oh, I do love birthdays...


Disclaimer: See no evil, speak no evil, own no Yu-Gi-Oh.

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—**Feeling This**—

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"Marik! Hey, Marik!"

'Guh…! Please don't let him find me, please don't let him find me…'

"Marik, where are you?"

It wasn't exactly obviously to the Egyptian hikari at the moment, but his yami was hiding from him. As Malik went down the stairs, calling Marik's name, he never even noticed that said yami was hiding in the broom closet right below the stairs. And so, Malik ended up walking right past him and into the kitchen.

When Marik heard the boy's fleeting steps, he took in a deep breath and threw open the door to the closet and sprinted out, running down the hallway and out the front door, shutting it tightly behind himself once outside.

"Oh, thank Ra…!" He sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. But as soon as he did, they formed into ice crystals and dropped to the snowy ground. It had been snowing for the past few days now and Domino had about two feet of the white stuff currently covering the grass. As Marik looked around outside, he saw that the whole neighborhood was decorated in red and green and Santa lawn gnomes had replaced the flamingos for the time being.

But then this was the season for that type of thing. And that's what had gotten him into this mess in the first place. Marik had been so busy for the past week thinking about Christmas and how to get as many gifts as he could that he'd forgotten about the day two days _before_ Christmas. Malik's birthday.

Personally, he blamed Malik for this. Who in their right mind would be born two days before Christmas? People forget! And of course, he knew he'd get so much grief if he told his hikari that he'd actually forgotten his birthday. Which is why he'd been hiding from him all day. He knew that if Malik had seen him, he'd ask for a present or something.

Marik shook his head and stepped off the porch, the snow crunching under his feet as he went down the driveway and out into the street where little kids where playing joyfully and families were walking around aimlessly, caroling.

As Marik continued down the slippery road, a cute little boy with a crutch came running up beside him and began to sing, "The first noel the angels did say…!"

"Hey, beat it kid." The Egyptian grumbled, resisting the urge to set the little caroler on fire.

He blinked, pouting for a moment before continuing on with dignity, "Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay…! In fields where they lay—"

"I said go away!" Marik grabbed the boy's crutch from under him and chased him around a snow bank with it. Surprisingly, he ran pretty good for a cripple. When Marik decided that he was going to fast to catch and maim, he simply threw the cane at the boy's head and laughed as he fell into the snow bank.

"Gods, these idiot carolers, they just can't take a hint!" He grumbled as snow blew over the boy's body. Marik started back on the road, getting back to more important matters. Since it was so close to Christmas, most of the stores in the shopping district would be closed and the ones that were open were food shops. He wondered if he could get by with getting Malik a doughnut for his birthday.

'Nah…' he shook his head, 'Malik would probably want something I wouldn't be tempted to eat… But what the hell can I get him last minute like this? I don't know what he even wants, I didn't ask…'

In less than a few minutes, Marik walked into something and fell flat on his back, groaning and holding his head, "Ah, what the hell?"

He looked up and there was a door which was probably what he had hit. The door opened almost immediately and a pale head popped out, spiky white hair falling around the teen's face as he looked around suspiciously can then his gaze rested on Marik who was getting up and wiping the snow off his rear.

"Oh, it's you. What's up?"

"Well, nothing," Marik finished brushing white stuff out of his hair (which he later found out to be dandruff), "I actually wasn't planning on coming here, but since I'm here, I need a place to hide."

Bakura nodded sagely, "Been beating up crippled kids again?"

"No! I-I mean, yes… But that's beside the point!" He went up the porch and under Bakura's arm, inviting himself into the house. When he was in the living room, he turned back to Bakura, "I forgot Malik's birthday today."

"When _is_ Malik's birthday?"

"It's today!"

"Oh, I forgot."

"… Yeah… Anyway, I waited too late and all the stores are closed, everyone's gone on holiday! Malik's going to want a present and I can't avoid him forever." He sighed, now sitting on the couch and stuffing himself with chips that Bakura had previously been saving for himself. "So," He said with his mouth full, "What do you think I should do?"

"_First_, you should get your own damn chips." Bakura snatched the bowl away and began to viciously munch on them, "And second, I say avoid him at all costs. Hell hath no fury like a hikari scorned and he's gonna be pretty peeved when he finds out you stiffed him."

Marik blinked, "Jeez, Bakura. Peeved? Stiffed? Since when did your vocab improve?"

He smiled triumphantly, "Ryou got me a dictionary."

"Rockin'. But don't you think it's be a little hard to avoid him since we live in the same house and all?"

"Just go start a life under the sea. I'd bet anything Malik wouldn't follow you."

"… I… don't think that will work."

Bakura stopped shoveling food in his mouth and tapped his chin, "Well, then, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe you should kill yourself."

"… Over a _present_?"

He shrugged, "All I know… is that I have to go to the bathroom." He got up and walked out of the room.

"UGH! You're no HELP, Bakura!"

Marik huffed and spread out on the couch, seemingly deep in thought, 'Well… I guess I could always give him an I.O.U… But then, he'd expect something big and flashy in less than a week. And I don't have money for something like th—'

"HI!"

"AAHHH!"

Marik jumped after seeing Ryou's face looming overhead and that perky voice sneaking up on him. He had jumped all the way to the other side of the couch and was clutching at his chest, breathing raggedly, "Jeez, Ryou! What are you trying to do, send me to the Shadow Realm?"

The young Brit pouted, "I just wanted to say hello…"

"Well, you scared me!… Um, I mean, you didn't scare me, you just… surprised… me… Yeah. Ahem. So, what are you doing here?"

"I live here." He smiled, proud.

"I guessed."

Ryou hopped over the back of the couch and sat next to the tanned yami, sitting Indian style, "I thought I heard your voice. Were you playing with Bakura?"

"Define play."

"Um…"

Marik shook his head, "Never mind. Anyways, Ryou, I'm busy."

"Busy doing what?"

"Thinking."

"I like to think, too, can I help?"

"Uh… sure."

He beamed and extended his arm out to Marik.

The blonde blinked at it, "… What?"

Ryou's smile widened, "Let's hold hands."

"…" He was beginning to get freaked out but when Ryou's smile and hand didn't waver, he groaned and took the boy's hand, "Now what?"

"Now we think! Let's see…" Ryou shut his eyes and for about two minutes straight he hummed and seemed to be meditating almost before he finally opened his eyes and broke their hand holding. He shouted, "I've got it!"

"What?"

"The next step is figuring out what we're thinking about!"

"… WHAT? Oh, come on! Ryou, I was _trying_ to think about Malik's birthday present!"

He giggled cutely, "Yes, his birthday is today! I mailed his present yesterday."

"… But why would you do that if you live across the street?"

Ryou tilted his head, "Everyone loves mail."

"_Right_… You know what? I think I'm going to go back home and tell Malik that I just don't have a present. I really don't care what happens, but it'll be better than stressing over it. See ya later." Marik got up from the couch, walking towards the door, but was stopped by Ryou's voice.

"Marik!" Ryou shouted in a mystic-like voice, "Let your true feelings be known!"

"… Yeah… Well, Ryou, you just make sure to get some rest, okay?"

"I'll miss you, Marik!"

"…" Marik shut the door behind him.

**.0.0.**

He was back in his own house and ever since he got in, he'd heard Malik up in his room on the computer, listening to music. Marik snuck into the kitchen making sure to be extra quiet. Only, when he entered the kitchen, he knocked over quite a few pots and pans that made a horrible racket. Surprisingly Malik either didn't notice or was too wrapped up in his J-Pop.

Marik had decided that, even though he knew Ryou had been on some kind of drug, he made a rather good suggestion and it wasn't like Marik had anything _else_ for Malik. So he was busily working for about five minutes before putting his present in an envelope and bravely walking up the stairs.

As he approached his hikari's room, he could hear all the noise that he called music even in the hallway. He rolled his eyes and knocked on the door.

A voice from inside called, "IT'S OPEN."

He opened the door and almost had to cover his ears at the volume that nearly doubled from when his door was shut, "MALIK! MALIK, I HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE YOU!"

Malik looked up, "HUH? DID YOU SAY YOU WANT TO PEE ON ME?"

"UGH, _NO_! TURN THE MUSIC DOWN, PLEASE!"

"YOU WANT TO GIVE ME AN STD?"

"THE MUSIC! TURN THE RA-DAMNED MUSIC DOWN!"

"HANG ON! I NEED TO TURN THE MUSIC DOWN!" Was his last shout before pausing the music on his computer and looking up at his yami, "Now, what were you saying?"

Marik sighed and revealed the envelope from behind his back, "I have something to give you. For your birthday."

"… Ah! Marik, really? Aw, you shouldn't have!"

"I know that, but you would've killed me if I didn't."

"You're damn right I would've!" He said gleefully, taking the envelope and opening it. He pulled out a white slip of paper with a word written in permanent marker on it. Malik read it aloud, "… 'Joyous'? What's that?"

He smiled, "It's my _feeling_."

"…"

Marik frowned, "Don't you like it?"

Malik twisted his mouth and bent down, picking up something from the floor while saying, "No, it's fine… it's just that… this package from Ryou came today…" He held up an identical paper slip with the word 'High' written on it.

"… Hmm."

"Ditto."

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—**Owari—**

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Her Sweetness: Well, there we have it. The end of the Marik and Malik Update Marathon. - -'' Yeah, this was weird, but what can I say? Had to give the day some spice!

I really hope you all like it, reviews are appreciated!


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